Chasing Stars
by Mypokemonpride
Summary: A dystopia/apocalyptic story where Earth has become an industrial wasteland after the events of the 2nd Great Gem War. Earth is littered with mutant gem creatures and Homeworld has abandoned using it as a colony. Lapis Lazuli, the last known survivor of the Crystal Gems, defends the Beach House, until one day 'it' appears in the sky...
1. What Pierced the Sky?

Chapter 0: What Pierced the Sky

While midnight dust drifted into the gaping mouths of glass-toothed windows, a chipping blue gem screamed once again.

" _I'll see you later, alligator"_

The gem dug her fingers into the softness of a cold pillow. She was huddled up at the far end of a flayed bed, head lowered, feet crossed; a familiar position as closed up as her sanity. Down her cheeks, starlight drizzle illuminated wayward paths leading off the chin. Her jaws would go chattering crazy for a few brief seconds before she'd regain temporary control. Then, breathing in, struggling to let out, the process…starting over.

A lone note rode the beach wave tide swallowing the outside shore.

Grunting, mind whirling thoughts into typhoons, the gem threw the pillow and launched herself off the bed and over the ledge to the bottom floor, landing on a white couch stained with crimson polka dots of some faded time.

She smoothened her dress down and began to walk out of the room. Her eyes, like the deep blue misery of sea, remained shallow on the surface. The learned habit of ignoring her surroundings in the house helped her almost believe that there was nothing to ignore in the first place. Shattered lights, tossed toys, hanging wood fixtures, collapsing holes; if all of it could stay ordered in memory, at least that'd be one thing.

Her hands held her arms close to her chest. Lines of wear faintly showed near her eyes and a misshapen sigh broke out from an unknown prison. Echoes bounced off the peeling walls, coming together in clashing swords, the grind running slow and loud—chorus of spoken calamities singing all around.

"Be quiet!"

Strands of the gem's hair stood on end at the same time, from the round, teardrop rock situated right in the middle of her upper back, liquid wings fountained out. Droplets sprayed the ground. In a giant flap, she sprung high into the air.

The gem flew straight through the wounded rooftop with quick and beautiful ascension towards the sky. Wings stretched out wide. Salted breeze whispered past her hair and blew the ends of her dress. For a moment, she felt something, but the wind stole whatever feeling that was, away.

Flying until she reached the border between the shoreline and ocean, the gem's touch on the sand seemed to alter something among it, like a ripple of colors mimicking above.

She plopped down, legs tucked underneath her butt. Intertwined hands rested on her lap. Her wings flapped one more time before withdrawing back into the gem in a flash of white around the rock's edges.

Earth minutes died as she sat painting the landscape of distant space onto the canvas of her brain. It was amazing to her, how beyond this atmosphere, beyond the limitations of days and nights relying on the whim of a rotating axis, everything out there constantly changed. Even the placement of a little twinkle or a new splash of purple or blue could warp the perception of the entire galaxy. Here—despite what she had once been told—never changed.

Or so she thought.

"I should've—"

And then, a pillar of pink light pierced the night sky.


	2. The Light

Chapter 1: The Light

The light—slicing open the belly of sky, a spilling of the universe like the great rivers of Milky Way dropping into its upside-down ocean reflection, breaking image—shined bright.

She stood up. Eyes small and glossy, the gem, once again, held her arms as close as she could to her body.

Strong wind disturbed the undercurrents. Ripples of something between the limbo of fear and wonderment shot up her back. She ogled the sight. Around the beam, the mist of pink discolored the atmosphere.

Stepping back, her head heavy with the weight of an ocean, she frowned and sunk her teeth into her tongue; the sharks, swimming, swimming.

A sense of panic stirred within her. The scenery in front of her collapsed into black oblivion like castles of sand collapsing under moonlight fires and flags of nighttime rebellion. Everything gone—everything except the light.

Watery filmstrips of movie-perfect disasters rolled out fast across the torn projector screen in her mind. In fact, it was so fast, so smudged together that she couldn't even make them out. Only noise, jumbled loudness, sounded in the bleeding trenches of her ears. All of the images glided past her vision and went hurriedly to coil around the beam, catching fire.

The gem turned her face away and closed her eyes. _It's nothing, Lapis._ She reminded herself.

Lapis started walking. Outlines etched her surroundings, undone and set in reverse, and, for some unknown reason, below felt colder than usual.

"Lapis! Lapis!"

She perked.

"Come on, Lapis, let's go!"

Giggles.

"Go where?" she said.

Confusion numbed her features. That voice. Calling.

"Anywhere!" the voice pitched.

"O-okay."

The gem extended her arm out to nothing and ran behind…

They were going past half-buried broken weapons and jagged crystals blooming from the surface like weeds and lost fabrics and those whimsical other things. Her ability to keep the smile off her mouth wavered the stronger the light glowed. Bubbles with the rainbow glare of joy crowded her stomach and each step she came closer to floating with this light feeling defying the gravitational laws of the organic world (even if her body never had to comply with said rules in the first place). Her wings almost came out right now to launch herself into the air in a fit of laugher. Almost.

Because she heard that familiar voice…

Running for five minutes, Lapis and—slowed at the turn of the curve hugging and overlooking the cliff.

Letting go, Lapis grabbed forward at what she saw grinning and waving goodbye to her, dashing off.

"W-wait, "she sighed, "don't go."

Lapis fell and dug her fingers into the sand, her bangs casting a shadow over her face. _Of course._

Tiny rocks tumbled down the cliff.

And in the curtain fall of darkness…

Lapis gasped.


End file.
